Please try to get outside with your child this summer. I would assume everyone has a backyard, swing set area in their community, or a nearby park.
When asking my students if they went outside afterschool or on the weekends they usually said no. Safety is a huge concern so I completely understand. Parents that work have limited time as well to do those fun things. I have grown children out of the house and I still struggle to complete things due to that dreaded clock that never stops.
I have thought of a few screen-free ideas that may work with your families, I hope.
- Early in the morning go for a walk with your children. Take in all the sights. what do you hear, see, smell and can touch.
- Bring sidewalk chalk to your nearest sidewalk and draw away. Once finished you can play hopscotch and take silly pictures.
- Go for a picnic in your backyard, at the park or in your living room. Set out the blankets and enjoy time with each other.
- Buy bubbles and fill the sky.
- Go bird watching. They are fascinating creatures who are so smart. Sitting and watching them for an extended period of time creates a story. Does your child like to draw or paint? Create pictures afterwards and decorate a room in your house.
- Collect some bugs. Lightning Bugs are so fun to collect and put in glass jars. Bring them in your house in a dark room and watch their magic. Make sure you release them shortly after so they can continue to light up the yards.
- Take the dog for a walk with the family. I walk two dogs separately every night which takes up a lot of time. Go for a family walk and check off more than one thing from your to do list.
- Continue to strengthen little hands by using playdoh or clay. Create items you can air dry or harden.
- Read to, read with or listen to your child read to you. Statistics don’t lie. I don’t want to talk about scores because I believe in focusing on the whole picture. Scores are a small piece. Students with special needs are going to struggle and scores for some won’t mean a lot. I like to focus on the independent needs that are addressed when reading. Can my child read and follow directions? Does my child understand safety signs when they see them or read them? Can my child read and follow a recipe? Can my child follow routines that are written out. FOSTERING INDEPENDENCE , I believe, is the #1 focus for all children from birth to grade 5. If they learn independence early on they will continue growing their independence. If I or You or We do for anyone they no longer need to try to do for themselves. My elementary students often say,”I can’t read”. Of course they can. The first step to reading is telling the story by looking at the pictures. Have them look at the cover and predict what the book will be about. Turning pages one page at a time is a learning process. Have them slow down and tell what they see and predict what could happen next. Find sight words on each page(the and a). When finished ask them if they liked the book why or why not. This will help them begin to choose books they like.
